Lost but Never Alone
by justawriter2006
Summary: Follows Clarke and Bellamy through the second season as they realize how much they need each other not only as leaders but rely on each other as family. Starts in 2X05 but will continue past that. I am really bad at summaries, sorry. Reviews are appreciated. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! I hope you en****joy this story, It starts in 2X05 but will go beyond that and hopefully I will cover everything i plan on. Sorry this first chapter is short. I hope you enjoy my interpretation of how Clarke and Bellamy care for one another in the series and the dynamics of their relationship past what is on the surface. I will hopefully continue past what is currently aired (2X08 as I am writing this). Enjoy!**

Clarke looks past Raven's shoulder, the sunlight dazzling her for a moment, turning her searching blue eyes silver. For a moment she cannot not see a thing, and then everything comes into sharp focus. It is him. The sun glowing over his broad shoulders as his jaw angles up to the sky. Suddenly, Clarke can't remember how to breathe, the last time she saw him, she had left him to die. Knocked down, beaten, defenseless, and she had closed the dropship door, tears refusing to shed from her eyes. Now here he was. Standing just across the clearing, intact, whole. "Bellamy" She breaths, his name caught in a disbelieving whisper. She tenses unsure of what to do as Raven encourages sharply, "Go!"

On command Clarke sprints towards him, she does not know why but her legs carry her as if she is flying over the grass, just knowing that she has to get to him as fast as she can no matter what she has to feel him, to know that he is truly here and not just an apparation of her mind. He turns slowly, the look of surprise on his face reflecting the wide smile painted in Clarke's eyes. She throws herself into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his tense neck as she buries her face in his shoulder. She drinks in his body; she is overwhelmed by the intermingling scents of pine, soot, sweat and pain caked to his light tee shirt, but she doesn't care. She is lulled by the warmth of his chest and the strong beating of his heart pounding in her ears; enamored by the gentle sigh of "Princess" escaping his lips as the tension in his shoulders falls away and his arms wrap around her body as intensely as she grips him, nearly lifting her off the ground as she feels his cheeks soften into a gentle smile pressed against her neck.

Bellamy is frozen, they had trooped wearily back to camp, the girl they found had not uttered one word as she trudged behind them and Bellamy felt utterly defeated. Every now and then he glances back at Octavia, a warm flutter of relief in his chest at the sight of his sister safely by his side. But then his face would grow weary as he saw the flash of pain written on her face, reminding him that her heart was with Lincoln and that he could do nothing to ease her angst. They reach the looming, forbading camp Jaha and they are immediately surrounded by aggresive gaurds. Bellamy's gaze flickers with annoyance as an overwhelming sense of encarceration sets over him. For so long, he had been calling the shots, it was his responsibility to keep his people safe. The 100 looked to him for guidance, for protection, he was their leader. He and Clarke had been a united front, a perfect balance of unity and leadership, they had supported each other. _Clarke_. Bellamy thinks as the air tightens in his lungs and an image of her strong defiant face conjures in his mind. He wants to think that the absense of her by his side isn't crushing him, that he felt like a part of him was missing, yet he can barely breath without thinking of what she would do in this situation. Would she have given up on him? As much as he fights to deny it, Bellamy begins to realize the toll Clarkes absense took on him. Blood pounding in his chest, Bellamy looks to the ground, empty as though there is a gaping hole in his heart. Suddenly, a choking wave of emptyness makes him want to keel over, allow the gaurds to lock him back up in this camp that isn't his. So much has changed in the span of less than one month that Bellamy cannot even remember being the person who he had been when they had first arrived on earth, 100 delinquets expendable enough to be sent on a suicide mission yet neccesary enough to be monitered. A pang of angst sweeps through him as the demons he had fought so hard to contain within himself threaten to resurface as painful memories flash through his mind; of throwing away the radio and sentencing 300 lives to meet their end, of shooting the chancellor, of killing Dax as the other boy had lunged at him unquestionable venom written in his eyes, of Charlotte. "I'm a monster. All I do is hurt people. If my mother could see what I've beckme" He had choked out, his voice faltering with a crushing repelling sense of defeat and disgust. Clarke by his side, blood caked to his face that refused to be washed away, even by empty tears. The feeling of her hand on his shoulder, "I need you." She had insisted, her deep intelligent blue eyes trained intensely on his broken, haunted gaze. "We all need you, Bellamy."

But she hadn't realized how much he needed her.

In the camp Bellamy glances up to the sky, allowing the warmth of the sun to caress his face, unwilling to look away to find the steely, unrelenting gaze of the gaurd prodding him staring back at him. From the corner of his eye he sees a blur of movement surging towards him. He turns his head and in a flash someone is wrapped tightly around his body, clinging to him with a fervent intensity, long knotted blond hair falling around her face and tickling his arms. Clarke.

Bellamy is in shock, his senses unwilling to believe the proof laid before him. Clarke is here, in his arms. Suddenly nothing matters, he melts into her warm embrace, wrapping his arms around her body with a ferocious intensity matching hers, burying his face in her neck as a peaceful smile spreads across his face. "Princesss" He murmurs into her warm skin, the affectionate nickname rolling off his tongue with a warm caress.

From far away he hears Octavia's chiming voice, laced with awe, whisper, "Well there's something I thought I'd never see."

Her words barely register in his mind as a small disbelieving laugh escapes his mouth, It really must be a very strange sight to see the two clashing leaders embracing so warmly.

As Clarke falls from his arms, their gazes locked on one anothers with an unwavering intensity, Bellamy's arm nearly raises to brush his fingers on her cheek one more time, to feel the electrifying warmth of his skin on hers once again but he holds back, flickering his gaze back to his sister as she in turn gives Clarke her own affectionate hug. Clarke's gaze flits back to his and his heart leaps in his chest as she asks, "Where's Finn."

All of a sudden, Bellamy's shoulders tighten and his gaze grows dark as his thoughts fly to the emotionally disjointed boy he has let run off with a loaded gun. Bellamy's mind filled with many feelings of guilt, anxiety, worry but one flitting feeling besumed him, jealousy. A short but red hot flash of the maddening emotion seems to pierce his heart. Dazed he breaks eye contact from Clarke and responds in Octavia's direction to clear his head, "Looking for you." He breathes gravely as Clarke purses her lips in worry.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi I hope you enjoy this chapter, I would love to hear what you think! Please review if you can. I will try to make the story more fast paced later on, but first I want to address the smaller moments between Bellamy and Clarke and highlight their significance towards the development of their relationship.**

Hours later Bellamy stands with his back straight and his jaw locked as he stands behind Clarke in what remains of the Ark. He surveys her back, tension written in the back of her shoulders as agitation seethes off of her as she argues with her mother. Abby Griffin on the other hand is facing him as she pleads with her daughter her eyes alight with concern and love, mystifying and mesmerized, their depths so enraptured with the reality of her child's return that they are blind to another thing. The 100 may have left the Ark as prisoners, as condemned children sent to an uncharted radiation soaked Earth to an overwhelmingly probable death. Yet in their solitude, their abandonment, they had learned to be strong, to survive, to learn and become one with their environment. The 100 was anything but the desperate incapable children who had left the ark. With Clarke and Bellamy as their experienced leaders the group had learned to unify the bonds of their impossible community strengthening them and making them more experienced and able than the adults that followed them. Clarke was anything but a lost child that needed protection. She is a leader, a brave princess, her experiences aging her beyond her eighteen years.

Clarke pleads with Abby, negotiating for them to go find Finn and Murphy before they are hurt or destroy their relations with the grounders. Bellamy can feel his heart pounding in his chest, he had left them. His people were out there with guns he had left them with and Finn already dangling from a chasm of chaos and unpredictability. He feels so helpless, he is supposed to be a leader, protecting his people yet the remaining 47 are still locked in mount weather with Finn and Murphy gone, and Bellamy himself a prisoner within this camp and in his own mind. Suddenly he can't stand it anymore he strides forward addressing Abby, "So you're just gonna cut them loose? With guns you gave us, and now you're abandoning them?"

Abby approaches Clarke, the unseeing love in her eyes locked on hers, "But I just got you back" She breathes desperately. This stings Bellamy, what he would give for his mother to be one of the parents here, worrying about him. He is here for his sister, but who is here for Bellamy?

Despite Abby's protests Clarke, Bellamy and Octavia had set out back into the world they knew in search of Finn and Murphy. Clarke stares at the fire, her gaze lowered as she watches the flickering orange tongues of flame catch on the wind, sparks burning brilliantly for a the small electrifying moment of their existance, only to be burned away jn the blink of an eye. The warmth of the flames kiss her cheeks as she slowly shifts her gazd upwards towards Bellamy's hunched form, his shoes firmly digging into the soft earth and his strong hands clasped. She slowly follows the lining of his jacket upwards until her eyes meet his staring intently back at her. The direct gaze of his eyes, alight with the luminous flames, seems to pierce Clarke's soul, sending waves of electricity through her veins. Her breath catches, he does not break eye contact his dark eyes lost in thought as they were enraptured by the depths of her stare. Evidently, Bellamy had been gazing at Clarke as she flirted with sleep, his mind entranced by gentle thoughts that kept him from sleep himself.

Suddenly he whispers in a clear even voice, his gentle gaze still trained on Clarkes glowing face. "The last time I saw you, you were closing the dropship door." This statement sends waves of guilt down Clarkes spine. She had watched as a battered Bellamy struggled to fight off a grounder warrior, despite his disadvantage he had charged again and again back into the fight never loosing stamina. Clarke's shaking fingers clutching the lever that would seal his doom, despair crushing her heart as she slowly lowered it. Tears swimming in her eyes as she watched Bellamy fall.

Bellamy sees Clarkes body tense and his voice softens with a gentle honey laced tone, "Had to be done." He simply acknowledges, his strong voice recognizing Clarke's strength as a leader beside him. This was enough to ease the might of Clarkes pain and turmoil as her body relaxes. She slowly sits up, shifting her body closer to Bellamy's as a small smile that captured the playful crease of his cheeks spread across his face. Then his face falls and his gaze falls away as the thought of what his actions have once again caused crashes over him, he had left an erratic Finn and Murphy, of all people, alone with the glint of vengeance and desperation in Finn's demeanor. Any resulting consequences would inevitably be Bellamy's fault. His shoulders sag as he relays his worry to Clarke, doubt paralysing his mind as he worries that he has once again made the wrong call in a seemingly never ending war within himself between his redemption and the demons that plague his soul. Clarke puts a hand on his shoulder her lips flashing a reassuring smile as she says in a brave voice, "I'm sure that had to be done too." Her fingers lightly clutch his shoulder as they sit, two leaders united in the difficult decisions they have been forced to make that have made them strong yet terribly alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys sorry this chapter is short but i promise the story will become more fast paced soon! I just want to follow Bellarke through Finns arc to show how the experience has made them closer as partners. I think some post 2X08 will be coming on soon so let me know what you think and maybe even some ideas for where the story should go based on what you think. I am very open to feedback and it is a very important part of where this story will go so please let me know what you think! Just a general note I'm thinking of taking the 100 back to their own camp, i think it would be best because they have really learned to thrive on their own with Bellamy and Clarke as their leaders and I think it would be a way for Bellamy and Clarke to assert their leadership and maturity (and maybe bring them together as a couple)**

By the time the sun rises over the treetops, they have arrived at a small clearing, moss and lichen overtaking once marble white columns in the density of the forest. Bellamy Clarke and Octavia emerge from beneath the shadows of the looming trees. Ahead they see Finn, Clarke tries to approach him but Bellamy holds her back gently, his eyebrows creased in worry as he flashes her a silent warning. Something is not right, Murphy stands behind Finn agitated as he tries to talk the other boy down over something. Finn only pushes murphy off instead flashing a gun at a pen of corralled grounders, consisting of mothers with children and staggering older men and women in their midst. Suddenly a boy who cannot be more than sixteen streaks from the formation and without a second thought Finn released a rain of bullets upon him. The boy falls dead and Octavia cries out in anguish as Finn's volley of bullets does not end as he strikes down several more of the terrified people in the confusion.

Clarke lets out a singular anguished sob over the sound of Octavia's screams, her eyes fixated on the darkly vacant expression on the face of the unreadable boy she no longer recognized. Bellamy has his hands on his sister's shoulders as Octavia falls back into his arms and sets her on the ground, gently stroking her head with what little comfort he can offer as the sounds of guns firing still imminent in the frosty morning air. Clarke staggers forward, emerging abruptly from the sidelines Bellamy runs after her standing slightly behind her ready to support her, to catch her if she falls, to stand beside her and shoulder some of the pain weighed down on her back, the hurt so prevalent in her expression as she stares disbelievingly at Finn. A vacant grin grows on Finn's face, a smile that does not reach his searching eyes that in light of the blood on his brow and his finger resting on the trigger of the gun at his side makes the sides of his lips look twisted in a sinister smile. He starts towards Clarke, stepping lightly over the carnage at his feet, "I found you." He breathes with an audible sigh of relief that sounds so misplaced in such a situation.

Clarke slowly backs away from him, the look in her eyes guarded and terrified as she simply shakes her head at Finn. Bellamy steps beside her his own face written with anguish at the broken man standing before them so far gone is the gentle peacemaker that Finn had once been. Standing before them is someone unrecognizable. A haunted man, broken by pain and loss, ravaged by circumstance.

Bellamy glances at Clarke, his stricken expression reflecting the pain etched in Clarke's gaze. All he can do is support her, they can do their best for Finn and Bellamy will do his best to stand by his fellow leader. Neither will be alone in this hostile life, neither is alone in despair.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok here is the 4th chapter from here I plan on moving past Finns arc and exploring the dynamic of Bellamy and Clarkes support and the development of their love for each other, the story will probably move beyond the show now and back to their life at camp and the development of their relationship. Just as a warning this chapter focuses a bit on Finns downfall, I respect the character and the finality of his arc and tried to capture that. I hope you enjoy please review if you have the chance it would mean the world!**

Finn's judgement is called in the camp by the adults. He will not face punishment. Although Clarke is immensely relieved to hear this news a twinge of guilt nags at the back of her mind, threatening to cascade over her. She had seen it. Heard the sound of yhe bullets, seen the savage, blank stare plastered to Finn's face as the gun ricoched in his hands. Watched eighteen lives end without a cause, and Finn was ok. Her feelings cloud in her mind constantly, what Finn did was abhorable, yet he had been overcome. He was not the carefree boy who had earned the nickname, Spacewalker and flashed her a grin when he gifted her secret art supplies. This was a haunted man. A person who had seen things that had broken something inside of him, dwarfed the hopefulness inside of his once pure soul and squandered it beneath a crushing mountain of destruction. Yet when Lexa's ominous threat came, give the grounder leader Finn in exchange for the eighteen lives he took or face the threat of war, Clarke needed to find a way to protect him. Bellamy standing beside her protecting Finn from threats even within their camp with his usual fervor and Raven madly staking everything on the cost of Finn's life, Clarke would do anything to keep Finn from the consuming death the grounders had prepared for him. While out with Finn, she cannot breath a word, he tries to seek her forgiveness, to assure her his actions where out of love for her, but how can eighteen lives ever justify as an act of the heart? Just as she turns to him, her eyes closed off and reserved, the world spins and everything becomes a blur.

Bellamy paces anxiously in the dropship, Finn and Clarke should be there by now. He eyes Murphy who is glaring at Raven who meets his gaze with equally steely eyes. Bellamy huffs impatiently his thoughts flying to Clarke out in the woods with what the grounders want most. The thought sends ice down his spine as he shakes his head, "Where are they? They should be here by now." He growls.

suddenly Finn bursts through the entrance his face anguished, but Bellamy can barely hear or see him. His eyes are locked on Clarkes lifeless form in his arms, he rushes to her his hands flying to her cold face blood caked to her forehead. His voice rises in pitch and he can hear his words clouding, "What happened? How did this happen to her?" He demands, his fingers shaking. He does not fall from her side as Finn shakily sets her on the ground and backs away as if horrorstruck by the remains of Clarkes blood still left on his fingertips. Bellamy gently strokes her temple, his face inches from hers, his eyebrows furrowed in worry and pain. He chokes on his own voice, ringing with fear, "Clarke." Her name falling from his lips like a snowflake. With relief he sees her lips quiver slightly in their unconsiousness and her eyelids flicker as she struggles to comprehend her sorroundings. A gentle smile of relief grows on Bellamy's lips as he gently eases the tension in her body, smoothing back her hair, his thumb relaxed on her cheek. "You're gonna be ok, You just need to rest." He assures her in a voice laced with the softest tones of honey. She sighs in his arms, her body falling limp. He keeps his gentle hands on her cheek not moving as both Raven and Finn storm out. He will stay beside his Princess.

Finn has turned himself into the grounders, despite every desperate measure from his friends, the agony of his actions had been too much and he had done what he felt could not be avoided for the sake of his friends, of his people and the justice of his actions. Bellamy gazes into Clarke's determined eyes as she stands at the gate of camp Jaha. He opens his mouth to say something, but the defiant look in her steely gaze restrains him. From the tension at the corner of her lip and the determination in her set eyebrows, he knows what she has to do. He returns her serious forlorn look and releases her hand. His own words whisper back at him from the corner of his mind, "Had to be done." it echoes. A feeling of sadness sinks to the pit of his stomach as he nods gently at Clarke. She has to do this. On her own. At the beckon of his nod, Clarke takes a deep breath and gives him one final anguished glance, the look in her eyes grateful for his silent support yet laced with an unidentifiable undertone of sadness.

Bellamy falls back as she exits the gate, her form blending into the darkness of the navy sky. He breathes in slowly through his nose as he moves to Raven's side, resting the palm of his hand on her shoulder as they both stare out into the darkness, searching, waiting. On the hilltop they see Clarkes shadowy form standing next to that of Lexa's deceptively slight yet powerful frame. Bellamy's heart pounds in his chest as another shadowy figure presses a knife to Clarkes chest, but she keeps her chin level and her back straight as the figure backs away and Clarke starts cautiously towards the looming stake that holds Finn.

Bellamy and Raven both watch with their breathes drawn as Clarke leans in towards Finn embracing him with an air of forgiveness and comfort. Only Bellamy realizes right away what is happening. He sees it as Finn's head falls onto Clarkes shoulder, sees it as Clarkes back sags with anguish, watches as the Spacewalkers head drifts lifelessly from her shoulder as she shakily backs away a knife wrapped in her fingers. His heart sinks in the breathless moment it takes for the reality to set in. Clarke killed Finn, out of mercy, out of love, out of redeption, she gave him his final peace. He wants to run up to her to shoulder her pain in this moment of leadership and comradery. The gruesome words echoe in his mind like the ringing of bells, "Had to be done." In his mind Bellamy murmurs, "Princess" for the girl up on the hill alone, alone in a decision so draining and terrible it will stay with her as a scar forever. But all he can do is watch, his pained eyes set on her ashen form in mourning understanding, holding Raven wrapped in his arms as she falls to pieces before him, Bellamy desperately rocking her as she lets out a tormented cry for the realization of Finn's fate. Raven's anguish reflecting the stabbing pain that is tearing Clarke from the inside, her mercy isolating her in her pain as a leader that must shoulder it alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Heres chapter 5 I plan on taking the 100 back to their camp for the next chapter, and get ready for some really big bellarke moments in the coming chapters! Please let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas for the story I would love to hear from you. Thank you for your continued support and reviews, as always this story thrives on your feedback and reviews are very much appreciated, Thank you! Enjoy! XOXO**

It had come like a wave. Bellamy thought it would be more of an explosion, a bursting heart searing pain that would attack her from every angle in a consuming rage of fire. That is all the grief he has known. In his life, Bellamy had known pain, he had known grief and he sure as hell knew guilt. But the difference between his pain and Clarke's was that his was predictable, it was a slowly building, all consuming, concentrated explosion of emotions. First came anger and lashing out, he would push people away become bitter and denying. Just as when he had slowly been consumed by his actions, inch by inch, his mother, then charlotte, then Jasper, then the radio, followed by Dax's attack. Then it all came crashing over him in a consuming fire, crashing and burning until it ate away at his soul. He had fallen against that tree, broken and bloody, the blood caked to his fingers and his face, although it was his own, a reminder of the lives at his feet. It had all come back to his mother, her death had been his fault, he had been stupid and if she could have seen the man he had become? She would hate him. But in his lowest moment, Clarke had been there at his side, a hand on his shoulder, a fierce glint in her eye, her words ringing out clearly in his mind, resonating within his heart, "I need you. We all need you, Bellamy." In that moment, he knew that he truly needed her too, in that moment, the nickname she bore, Princess, become a mark of courage a glowing testament to her strength instead of one out of spite, out of resentment, out of entitlement. She had become his Princess, and he swore that he would be by her side if she should ever need a gentle hand on her shoulder.

That had been where he was when she returned, her face ashen and ghostly, Bellamy had stepped lightly to her side, shrouding her from the people emerging to stare at the face of the girl who had loved Finn, who had defended Finn, who had killed Finn. But she had only stood there in silence and walked calmly to her tent. But the grief still came, all at once, slowly at first but increased in momentum until it crashed over her like a wave on the rocks.

Six nights later Bellamy had been wandering around the camp, in the moonlight, the only sounds he could hear were the gentle rhythm of his footsteps and the swaying of the trees under the starlit sky. If he closed his eyes he could almost believe it was daybreak, just before the morning patrol back at the drop ship. He was always the first one up, as he surveyed the walls his people had fortified, the prized piles of food and supplies casting small shadows on the well trodden ground at his feet he felt the swell of pride in his chest, maybe they could pull this off he had wondered. Maybe he could pull this off, be a good leader. Then he would see Clarke emerge from her tent, her sleepy eyes still half shut as the early morning sunshine would catch on her hair making it glow golden in the youthful daybreak. She would smile at him, catching him off guard as he smirked and waved back and he couldn't wonder, he knew for certain that she was already a good leader.

Bellamy? a small voice he almost doesn't recognize causes the memory to vanish around him, dissolving in the crisp midnight air. He spins around, in the middle of the clearing, the moonlight cascading over her turning her face silver, is Clarke, the confidence drained from her cheeks as she stares at him with lost eyes. He starts towards her and when he gets closer he can see her lip quivering in the soft light. She looks around her searching eyes fleeting and her expression matching that of a trapped animal. "I need to get out of here" She mumbles quietly, a desperate ring to her voice.

Bellamy quickly nods and leads her carefully past the drowsy guards. The minute they step out of the almost alien Camp Jaha, a weight is lifted from Bellamy's chest that he didn't even know was there. He turns his head slightly looking at Clarke as she walks beside him, her head held high as she looks ahead with unwavering determination, her lips clasped tightly. They walk in silence for what seems like forever, Bellamy eventually falling behind Clarke as she leads him through the darkness of the forest. Suddenly, Clarke's even, steady pace stops abruptly as they arrive in a clearing. It takes a moment for him to realize it but Bellamy is utterly familiar with this place, the pointed, arching oak looming over the others is embedded into Bellamy's mind forever. Clarke slowly approaches the tree until she is standing alone beneath it, slowly surveying its roots until she is staring at its branches. "Bellamy?" She asks slowly.

He paces up to her, "What is it, Princess?"

She looks up into his eyes, their watering depths searching his for something, "Do you remember being here?"

Without hesitation he replies, "Of course I do" He strides over to the tree and sits down making a space for her beside him, "Do you need a break Princess?"

She slowly lowers herself beside him, resting her cheek on his shoulder. Bellamy can feel a singular warm tear land on his tee shirt. He turns his head to see Clarke furiously clenching her cheek as she fights down the emotions screaming from her face. Bellamy gently wipes the tear away with his thumb, "You know that you don't always have to be so brave, Clarke. You are allowed to feel."

"But thats the thing isn't it," She whispers in a voice broken by tears, "Am I really? We build up these walls and do these things that make us strong, but at the end of the day Finn is dead and his blood is still dry on my hand. I closed the drop ship door. I left the others in Mount Weather All of these things were supposed to be the right thing yet I am so alone, Bellamy." And with that she burrows her head in his shoulder muffled sobs escaping her lips. Bellamy strokes her hair and says convincingly, "Clarke, you are never alone. These things you had to do, they had to be done. You gave Finn his peace, you saved him from suffering. Everything you have done has lead to greater things for others. That is what makes you strong. I know these things, standing alone, can be the most lonely thing in the world, you loose trust, love, hope, but what matters is you have the strength and the courage to survive this. You will come out of this, you are not finished, you are not lost, you are a survivor. I am always going to be here, you don't have to face any of it by yourself, we lead together and stay together." He squeezes her shoulder gently kissing the top of her head. "But Clarke, you are human, you are allowed to grieve, to feel this pain, right here, under this tree."

She simply nods tears caked to her cheeks as Bellamy's warmth radiates off of him, comforting her, "The last time we where here, you saved me from Dax. Then you broke down, remember me telling you that I needed you?"

Bellamy nods, "You gave me a reason to fight, Princess. To fight for everything, our people, Octavia, said it yourself, I inspire them, but you inspire me."

"well Bellamy, It's still true, I really do need you. Everything you've done, its what got us here tonight." She murmurs her eyes half shut.

Bellamy contemplates this, "You know Clarke, this has been the first time I didn't feel trapped since I got to that camp, its like I was running forever since the Grounder battle and with the rest of the Ark, I'm not free. Our people are gone, we have a purpose Princess. We formed a society, are we just supposed to throw that away now?"

Clarke eyes him, a new fiery glimmer in her eyes, "What are you saying, we go back to our camp?"

Bellamy yawns, "Well the only thing I'm saying now is we get our people out of mount Weather, they need us Clarke. We owe it to them to fight for them. We are their leaders."

Clarke allows this to sink in, thoughts swirling around in her restless mind, thoughts of her mother, of her people, how she owes it to the bond connecting her to Bellamy and the 100. Her mind flies to Finn in his final days, of his broken spirit, she owes it to the memory of him to fight for the 47 left in Mount Weather, to fight for the society she helped built and protect from the ground up.

Clarke leans in close against Bellamy, breathing in deeply as her eyes begin to droop, the exhaustion of several sleepless nights finally crashing over her. Yet, under the starlit night sky, she cannot shake the rapid beat of her heart as she is drawn so tightly in Bellamy's arms, leaning against the tree they share. When she finally falls asleep, lulled by the sense of Bellamy's warmth against her side, Clarke feels the most safe in her life since before her confinement on the Ark.


	6. Chapter 6

**For this chapter I was planning on making it longer with Abby's reaction to their return and their decision to leave ****camp Jaha, the 47 coming home is something i plan to be short because I really want to get into the dynamics of Bellamy and Clarke as leaders again but focusing on the shift from who they were as leaders before and who they will be now, this includes the development of their relationship. But if you think I should make the 47 coming back as more of a rescue mission type thing let me know if that is something you would rather see first. Anyways thank you again for all of your kind reviews and support, I always look forward to new reviews. Thanks again, enjoy!**

As the day breaks over the treetops, Bellamy wakes with a start. That had been the deepest sleep he had felt in a very long time, he usually slept restlessly, always on the alert, always 40 thoughts flying through his head at once but tonight he had slept soundly. For a moment, he cannot remember where he is and he tenses, starting to his feet, but then he looks to his side and sees Clarke leaning peacefully against his shoulder. Bellamy can feel his muscles relaxing, as the soft morning sunshine washes over her relaxed features, in sleep he can forget the dull pain etched into her face in consciousness, it is replaced by a serene calm, a glowing beauty that is unmatched by the golden sunrise reaching through the trees. Entranced, Bellamy quickly looks away, breathing in slowly so as to not disturb Clarke. What is he doing? There are lives at stake, the 47 are still trapped in Mount Weather and Finn just died less than a week ago, his friend and fellow survivor. He needs to be able to channel his energy into being a strong leader, he owes this to his people, to Octavia, to Clarke. He thinks tearing his gaze from her sleeping face. He cannot allow himself be distracted by his own mind. Clarke stirs beside him and he slowly watches her eyes open to the soft sunlight, their deep iris' glittering with the youthful spirit of the rising sun. She groggily sits up, but is on her feet in an instant. Bellamy follows suit, and the two set out without a word in the direction of their camp.

Bellamy arrives first, he hesitates at the gate, the blackened metal bearing the scars of the explosion. He waits for Clarke to come up next to him, somehow unable to enter alone. "Ready, Princess?" He asks only looking to the sky, not willing to look at the ash covered ground yet, which he knows will be littered with the singed bones of both grounders and his people alike, indistinguishable from one another on the heat seared ground below.

Clarke looks to him, her eyes also carefully trained away from the sight in front of them, her stare locked on Bellamy instead. "Only if you are." She responds.

"Ok." He responds firmly as he slowly inhales through his nose. Almost in unison, the pair of leaders enter the gate, their footsteps the only sound in the desolate camp. In silence they maneuver around, surveying the charred remains of tents and supplies, carefully avoiding the watching bodies at their feet, which seem to almost writhe in agony, locked in a gruesome agony. Clarke breathes in sharply as she approaches a delicate looking corpse, with its arms gently resting against its chest, in an almost peaceful position. Not knowing what to do, she turns and looks at Bellamy. Surprisingly he is kneeling on the ground across the camp, his back shrugged in an almost defeated position. Clarke walks over to him slowly, until she is standing directly behind him, she can see that he is kneeling over one of the bodies, gently laying the blackened remains of a tent that had probably blown outside the camp, escaping the ensuing explosion, over the skeleton's face.

Sensing her movement behind him, Bellamy turns. His face is devoid of color, his dark eyes not focused on hers as he stands. "Clarke?" He asks quietly, his deep voice reaching into the still air as a rumble.

"What is it?"

"Do you think we've done more bad than good, here." His voice is nearly a whisper now, laced with a slightly elevated fear.

"What do you mean?" She asks gently.

When his eyes finally meet hers she notices they are shining with tears that will not break. "I mean, what have we done? By coming back to Earth, did we end up causing more harm to ourselves and others than if we had just wasted away in space? All we have seen here is war and death. This is what pushed Finn over the edge, we couldn't find a peace beyond chaos. What if its for nothing, what if we are just destined to always cause pain and suffering? What if I can never be good. I can't keep fighting this way." He clenches his jaw firmly unable to say another word.

"Then fight for something else Bellamy." Clarke whispers fiercely, "Fight for what we built here, fight to rebuild yourself and us in peace. Fight for our own place in this world. We have earned this ground in life and blood. We can clean up here and reimagine our home again. We will bury the dead with respect regardless of who they are. You said so yourself, we are not just people that fell from the sky, we are not the same as the ark, its true we are no grounders, but we do belong here, this is our home, and we will make it our redemption in this world."

Bellamy smiles down at her with the playful smirk she has always admired, the glint in his eyes almost always reserved for her, she doesn't know why but she suddenly finds herself noticing the freckles that dot his dimpled cheeks, why had she never noticed them before? Why was she noticing them now?

"Are you ready to bring our people back home, Clarke?" He challenges.

"I think I always have been." She counters with a smile of her own.

The two set back to Camp Jaha, determination eminent in their wake.


End file.
